FHB employees in Guam, NMI give $21.6K to charities

Back row, Peter Valdez, FHB VP and team leader. Front row, from left to right, Lin Manalo, FHB VP Private Banking officer; Victor Camacho, Make-A-Wish Foundation of Guam executive director; Chita Blaise, American Red Cross Guam CEO; Laura-Lynn Dacanay, FHB Senior VP, Guam and CNMI Region; Carlotta Leon Guerrero, Ayuda Foundation executive director; Jose Garcia, FHB VP and Tamuning branch manager; and Maria Calvo, FHB VP and Dededo branch manager. (FHB)

HAGÅTÑA, Guam—First Hawaiian Bank employees in Guam and the CNMI raised a record $21,636 for local charities during the bank’s Kokua Mai employee giving campaign, according to an announcement yesterday by Laura-Lynn V. Dacanay, First Hawaiian Bank senior vice president, Guam and CNMI region manager.

“We have some of the most generous and caring employees who believe in giving back to the communities that we serve. Every Guam and CNMI region employee made a contribution to First Hawaiian’s Kokua Mai annual employee giving campaign, achieving a 100 percent employee participation rate,” said Dacanay. “Since Kokua Mai’s 2007 inception, our employees have raised over $152,278 for charities [in] Guam and CNMI.”

First Hawaiian Bank administers the annual fundraising campaign to ensure that 100 percent of employee donations go directly to local charities. The online giving program is completely run by employees. The four-week campaign ran from Oct. 14 through Nov. 15, 2014, with employees conducting department fundraisers throughout to benefit 31 charities in Hawaii, Guam, and the CNMI. Kokua Mai charities receiving support in Guam and the CNMI include American Red Cross Guam, American Red Cross Northern Mariana Islands, Ayuda Foundation, and Make-A-Wish Foundation of Guam.

“The Ayuda Foundation used the First Hawaiian Bank employee donations to help fund our community gardening and park restoration projects in Kaiser, Dededo,” said Carlotta Leon Guerrero, Ayuda Foundation executive director. “The parks and gardens help to improve the quality of life for residents in the [densest] part of our island.”

“First Hawaiian Bank’s continued support for Make-A-Wish through Kokua Mai underscores how its employees have gained a true understanding and appreciation for our mission in granting wishes for kids from Guam and the Northern Marianas,” said Victor Camacho, Make-A-Wish executive director. “This is just one of the many ways throughout the year that First Hawaiian Bank supports Make-A-Wish. We are grateful for their generosity and humbled by this mutually beneficial partnership.”

“Financial support from donors like First Hawaiian Bank allows the American Red Cross to bring our mission to life,” said Chita Blaise, chief executive officer of American Red Cross Guam.

“The First Hawaiian bank has a long legacy of giving back to the community and supporting local humanitarian organizations. We are blessed to have them as a major donor and strategic partner. Our NMI Red Cross family is proud to be part of the FHB Ohana,” said John Hirsh, American Red Cross NMI Chapter executive director.

First Hawaiian Bank (fhb.com) with assets of $18.1 billion was founded in Hawaii in 1858 and is the leading bank in Guam with the largest share of loans and deposits in the region. The bank operates 58 branches in Hawaii, three in Guam and two on Saipan. (FHB)